Valve



Patented Mar. 16, 1954 VALVE Edmund Ludlow,

Columbus, Ind., assignor to Arvin Industries, Inc., Columbus, Inch, acorporation of Indiana Application August 14, 1950, Serial No. 179,169

1 Claim.

1 This invention relates to automobile-body heaters of the circulatingfluid type in which the coolant employed in the automobile engine isautomobile-body.

It is an object of this invention to provide for such a heater anautomatic control which will regulate the rate at which coolant flowsthrough the heater-core in accordance with the temperature within theautomobile-body. It is a further object of the invention to produce animproved valve adapted for automatic control and functioning to regulatethe rate of coolantfiow through the heater. Still another object of theinvention is to produce a temperature-responsive coolant-controllingmechanism which can be simply and economically manufactured and readilyinstalled in automobiles of various types and sources of manufacture.

In carrying out the invention. the core of the automobile-body heater isconnected into the coolant-circulating system of the automobile enginethrough a pressure-responsive valve. Such valve i controlled byintake-manifold pressure modified in accordance with the temperaturewithin the automobile-body. The valve which I prefer to employ has acasing provided with a valve seat and a movable valve member in the formof a hollow sleeve of resilient material, such Movement of thevalve-head is controlled by fluid pressure within a chamber of variablevolume, which chamber may be or may include the interior of thevalve-sleeve. The pressure chamber is connected to the intake manifoldof the engine through a valve responsive to temperature within theautomobile body, the arrangement being such that a decrease in thetemperature within the automobile body will cause thetemperature-responsive valve to alter fiuid pressure within the pressurechamber of the coolant valve in a manner which will result in opening ofsuch coolant valve.

The accompanying drawing illustrates invention; l is a fragmentalillustrating the sectional view somewhat diagrammatically the front endof an automobile in which my invention has been embodied; Figs. 2 and 3are elevations in partial section illustrating details of a preferredform of temperature-responsive valve;

and Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are fragmental axial sections illustratingdiiferent forms of coolantvalve.

In Fig. 1, I have indicated an automobile having a passenger compartmentIt defined at s front end by a dash ll, an engine l2 ahead of such dash,and a heater l3 mounted on the dash within the passenger compartment.The heater embodies a heat-exchanging core (not shown) connected througha supply hose l4 and a return hose (5 into the cooling system of theengine l2. As shown, the supply hose l4 communicates with the waterjacket of the engine through a coolantcontrol valve It, while the returnhose !5 communicates with the inlet of the coolant-circulating pump H.In the operation of such a heating system, some of the coolantcirculated through the jacket of the engine flows through the supplyhose M to the heater and is returned from the heater to the enginecooling system through the return hose i5. Within the heater, thecoolant gives up heat to a moving tream of air which discharges into-thepassenger compartment 50. Details of the heater l3 are not shown, asthey form no part of my invention, may vary widely, and are well known.

One form of valve of coolant from the illustrated in greater l6, whichcontrols the flow engine to the heater, is detail in Fig. 4, As thereshown, it comprises a generally cylindrical body 20 having an axiallyprojecting outlet nipple 25 adapted for connection to the supply hose isand a lateral inlet nipple 22 adapted for connection to the water jacketof the engine. The tapered shoulder between the valve-body 26 and thesmaller-diameter outlet nipple 2i is employed as a valve seat 23. Withinthe valve body 29 there is disposed a unitary valve member formed ofrubber or similar resilient material, such valve member being shown ascomprising a corrugated tubular portion 25, a thickened head 25 at oneend, and a thickened rim 2? at the other end. The valve body 20, whichis desirably formed of sheet metal, has at the end opposite the outletnipple 2! a portion 28 of larger diameter than the valve body andproviding a seat for an annular flange 29 on the rim 2?. A cup-likecover 3i) having an enlarged open end portion 3! receiving the endportion 28 of the valve body seatsj against the outer face of the flange29 and is secured in place on the valve body in any convenient fashion.A rigid valve stem 32 having an enlarged end 33 embedded in the head 26of the valve member extends rearwardly through the valve member and intothe cover 30, where it is provided with a shoulder 34. A helicalcompression spring 35 acts between the shoulder 34 and a plunger 38axially slidable in the cover 3% and adapted to be engaged by the innerend of an adjusting screw 3! screw-threadedly mounted in the outer endoi the cover. The cover to is provided with a laterally projectingnipple 38 adapted for connection to a flexible hose 39, the purpose ofwhich will hereinafter become apparent.

In the valve as so far described, the sprin urges the valve-head 25 intoengagement with the valve seat 23 with a force which can be varied byadjustment of the screw 81. The interior of the hollow valve membercommunicates with the interior of the cover 3'3 through a central holein the rim 21 to define a pressure chamber with which the hose 33communicates through the nipple 38. If a partial vacuum is createdwithin such pressure chamber, and if such vacuum is high enough, thevalve-head 2.1; will be drawn rearwardly away from the valve seat 23against the force exerted by the spring 35. Accordingly, by applying avacuum to the pressure chamber, the valve it will be opened to permitthe flow of coolant from the engine to the heater l3, and the rate ofcoolant flow can be varied by varying the degree of vacuum within thepressure chamber.

To control the application of vacuum to the pressure chamber of thevalve IS, the hose 39 is connected through a control valve 48 to asecond hose 4| leadin to the intake manifold 42 of the engine i2. Asshown in Figs. 2 and 3 the valve 48 comprises a body having a centralpassage terminating at opposite ends in nipples 45 and 41 adapted forrespective connection to the hoses 39 and 4|. Intersecting the passage45 is a recess which rotatably receives a valve member 48, such valvemember extending across and closing the passage 45 and being provided inthe plane of such p ssage with a notch or groove 49. A restricted bleedopening 5% pro vided in the valve body communicates with the recess inwhich the valve 48 is located, and such valve fits the recess loosely inorder that the vacuum in the intake manifold 42 may induce a flow of airinwardly th"0ugh the bleed opening 50, the valve-body recess, the lowerportion of the passage 45, and the hose 4! into the intake manifold. Therate of such how, and hence the static pressure in the valve-receivingrecess, will depend upon the an ular position of the valve 48. As shown,the notch as is in alignment and in communication with the lower portionof the passage 45, with the result that partial vacuum within the recessis at a maximum. Such partial vacuum transmitted though the tube 39 tothe pressure chamber of the valve Hi, will move the valve-head 26 fromits se t 23 and permit hot coolant to flow through the heater l3.

As the valve 48 is ro ated to carry the notch 49 out of alignment withthe lower end of the passage 45, the lower portion of such passage willbe covered by the unnotched portion of the valve, thus restricting orshutting ofi entirely air flow from the bleed o ening 58 through therecess and lower portion of the passa e 45. In this condition, thestatic pressure within the valve-receiving recess will be atmospheric orsubstantially atmospheric, with the result that the spring 35 in thevalve it will force the valvehead 33 into engagement with its seat 23and prevent coolant-flow to the heater (3. In intermediate positions ofthe valve 48, the partial vacuum within the valve-receiving recess willbe 7 be seated to 7 to move the plunger intermediate its maximum andminimum values and the valve-head 26 will occupy a position intermediateits fully closed and fully opened positions.

By controlling the position of the valve 48 about its axis in accordancewith the temperature in the passenger compartment 10, the valve l8 maybe regulated automatically to supply coolant in the quantity necessaryto maintain a desired temperature within the passenger compartment. Forthis purpose, the valve 48 may be secured to the inner end of a spirallycoiled bimetal strip 52 the outer end of which is anchored to the bodyof the valve, as by a pin 53. Conveniently, the ends of the bimetallicstrip 52 extend through slots in the valve 43 and pin 53, respectively.

In the condition assumed in the drawing, the temperature of thepassenger compartment 18 is well below that which it is desired tomaintain therein, and the bimetallic strip 52 positions the valve 48 tocreate within the pressure chamber of the coolant-valve it a vacuum ofthe maximum value, thus causing the valve-head 25 to occupy its fullyopened position. As a result, the rate of coolant-flow through theheater l3 will be a maximum. As the temperatur within the passengercompartment l6 increases, the bimet lic strip 52 rotates the valve 48 tomove the notch 49 progressively out of alignment with the lower portionof the passage 45, thus reducing the vacuum in the perssure chamber ofthe coolant-valve is and permitting the valve-head 26 to move towardclosed position under the influence of the spring 35. When thetemperature in the passenger compartment I8 is at or above that desired,the notch 4;? in the control valve 48 will be moved out or register withthe lower portion of passage 45, the vacuum in the pressure-chamber willbe a minimum and the prevent any coolant flow through the heater. Thetemperature automatically maintained in the passenger compartment by theapparatus described may be varied by adjustment of the screw 31. Byadjusting such screw 36 inwardly, the temperature maintained in thepassenger compartment may be lowered; and a higher degree of vacuum inthe pressure chamber will then be necessary to open the coolant valve.Adjustment of the screw 31 in a sense which will permit outward movement'of the plunger 33 will, on the other hand, re-

duce the effort exerted on the valve stem 32 by the spring 35, and thevalve IE will open at lower degrees of vacuum.

In the modified form of coolant control valve I I6 illustrated. in Fig.5, the valve body 29 is provided with outlet and inlet nipples ill and122 generally similar to the corresponding portions of the valve 15. Thevalve body shown in Fig. 5 is likewise similar to the valve body in Fig.4, having a corru ated tubular portion i251, a head 12S, and a rim IZ'Z,the rim having a flange I29 received in an enlarged portion 128 at theopen end of the valve body. In Fig. 5, the interior of the valve memberdoes not form a part of the pressure chamber; but instead is constitutedby an annular bellows I of the Sylphon type through which the valve steml32 extends. A cover disk i secured in any appropriate manner to theopen end of the valv body 82% holds the resilient flange I29 of thevalve member in place and is provided at its periphery with a flangereceiving the open end of a cup-like housing Kill. The bellows I85 actsbetween the cover disk Hi6 and an abutment I85 secured to the valve stem32. A.

valve-head 25 will.

helical compression spring I09 likewise acting between the cover diskI05 and the abutment I08 urges the valve-head I26 away from its closedposition in opposition to a second compression spring I35 with whichthere is associated an adjusting screw I31. A nipple I38 extendingthrough the enlarged end of the valve body I20, the flange I29, and thecover disk I25 provides for communication between the interior of thebellows I05 and the hose 30.

In the coolant-control valve of Fig. 5, vacuiu'n in the bellows I05,aided by the spring I35, tends to seat the valve-head I 26 in oppositionto the force exerted on the valve stem I32 by the spring I09. In thesense that vacuum within the pressure chamber (the bellows I05) acts toclose rather than to open the valve, the valve of Fig. 5 operatesreversely from that of Fig. 4. Accordingly, the temperature-responsivevalve of Figs. 2 and 3, when adapted for use with the coolantcontrolvalve of Fig. 5, is arranged so that the va ve m m r i3 o upi s theposition indicated when the temperature within the passenger compartmentI0 is at or abov the desired temperature. In this condition, the notch49 registers with the lower portion of the passage 45 and the vacuum inthe bellows I05 is at a maximum. The bimetal strip 52, in event of adrop in temperature in the passenger compartment I0, rotates the valvemember 48 to effect a decrease in the vacuum with the bellows I05 and aconsequent opening of the coolant-control valve, the extent of theextent to which the notch 49 in the valve member 58 is moved out ofregistry with the passage 45. The temperature at which the valve H6opens can be varied by adjustment of the screw I31, inward movement ofsuch screw raising the temperature at which the valve opens, and viceversa.

The particular form of coolant-valve member illustrated in Fig. 6 can beused as a substitute for either of the members illustrated in Figs. 4and 5. Such valve body is formed of resilient material and comprises ahead 226 adapted to engage a seat 223 in the valve body 220 to close theM flow through the valve. The valve member has an integral flange 229which is connected to the valve-head 220 by a flexibl corrugated portion225. The corrugated portion 225, however, instead of extending axiallyas in the valve member shown in Figs. 4 and. 5, extends generallyradially, and its corrugations are concentric and of differentdiameters. The valve body is held in place by clamping the flange 229between two valve-body portions 220 and 220', and the valve stem 232extends from the valve head for cooperation with vacuum-responsive meanswhich may be of either of the type indicated in Figs. 4 and 5.

I claim as my invention:

In an automobile-body heating system, a heat er, conduits for connectingsaid heater into the cooling system of an automobile engine, a valve inone of said conduits for controlling flow of liquid through said heater,said valve comprising a housing having inlet and outlet openings and anopen end coaxial with and spaced from one of said openings, a closurefor said open end, an axially extensible and contractable sleeve-likeelement of resilient material closed at one end and having at the otherend an outwardly projecting annular flange clamped between said closureand housing whereby the closure and sleeve-like element define apressure chamber the volume of which varies with extension andcontraction of the sleeve-like element, the closed end of the sleevelikeelement having a head constituting a valve member co-operating with thehousing-opening coaxial with the open housing-end to regulate housing,and temperatureresponsive means for controlling the pressure in saidchamber.

EDMUND LUDLOW.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,764,799 Hysor June 17, 1930 1,779,503 Swindin Oct. 28, 19302,304,642 Hans Dec. 8, 1942 2,421,565 Klug June 3, 1947

